Businesses burned by teen tanning ban

Saturday

Aug 17, 2013 at 6:00 AM

By Nick Draperndraper@McDonoughVoice.com

Teenagers under age 18 can no longer get a tan via tanning beds under state legislation signed into law this week — a move some locally consider a blow to businesses and others a possible protective measure for teen health.

Local dermatologist Dr. Zhong Ye says that the bill is a boon for the health of young people in the state of Illinois.

“College kids and high school kids get a tan or they get a sunburn,” Ye said, “and they get a lot of cancer later on. The community has to pay for that.”

Before the bill was passed, teenagers required a consent form to be signed in order to receive a tan. By signing the law that prohibits anyone under 18 from getting a tan in an indoor tanning salon, Gov. Pat Quinn agrees that health concerns merit government prohibition.

The bill does not limit a teen’s ability to get a spray tan, which is not known to cause cancer of any kind. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, natural and artificial ultraviolet radiation are cancer-causing substances.

The American Academy of Dermatology states that tanning equipment exposes the user to an overexposure of ultraviolet radiation that can lead to skin cancer. In contrast, the American Suntanning Association says that the science does not support, stating that medical use of sunbeds used for the treatment of psoriasis are the cause of an increased risk of skin cancer, not professional tanning salons.

Mark Furniss of Tropical Isle Tanning in Macomb says that the bill is senseless.

The law does not ban use of personal use of tanning devices on private property nor the use of dermatological sunbeds that are prescribed. However, the American Suntanning Society claims that tanning outside or using unregulated indoor tanning equipment will lead to more sunburns and thusly more damage.

Ye said that there is no acceptable age for tanning beds to be used because of the amount of damage done to the skin. However, he stresses that young people specifically should not use tanning equipment due to the susceptibility of their skin.

“The girl looks beautiful anyway,” Ye said of teens looking for a tan. “We tell them every time. But it’s peer pressure. People want to be tan, sometimes it’s ridiculous.”

Tanning businesses around the area may be certain to feel the effects of the ban, as many of the teens who would get tans for events, such as prom, now no longer have an option outside of spray tans.

“This law will cost jobs and possibly force salon closure(s),” Furniss said. “The effects will be determined in the upcoming months. Hopefully, our younger clients will to continue to use more MysticHD and Evolv sunless spray tans.”

Ye has little sympathy for the tanning businesses, stating that “it’s really not a good idea to harm other people and make money for it” but understands that there is a market demand.

Still, the ASA stands firm that requiring signed consent from a parent or guardian was a good system to begin with and is what parents actually prefer.

Ye, along with the U.S. Department of Health, say the law will prevent cancers like melanoma and will benefit the youth of Illinois in the long run.

“With melanoma some people die so early,” Ye said. “It’s just like smoking or alcohol, it’s not a good thing ... this will help them later in life.”

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